With the AI genie firmly out of the bottle, what impact could this have on accountants? April 10, 2019 This month, the British Film Institute celebrates the late Stanley Kubrick with a retrospective of his work. One of Kubrick’s most celebrated films, 2001: A Space Odyssey, was ground-breaking in its depiction of space – and it’s extraordinary to think that all the special effects created for it were achieved entirely without CGI, over 50 [...]
Technology, leadership, and change – business leaders must prepare for their next act April 9, 2019 "Everything flows, nothing stands still” (Heraclitus, 501 BC). Quite a lot has changed in 2,500 years, but that quote still rings true. We are surrounded by a flow of constant and accelerated change. And in such times of change, the art of decision-making is more significant than ever. While this added weight of responsibility might [...]
HSBC banker killed in Alps snowboarding accident April 9, 2019 A British banker has been killed in a snowboarding accident in the Alps. HSBC contractor and artificial intelligence (AI) entrepreneur Stuart Thurlow, 50, was killed in the French ski resort of Avoriaz on Friday while boarding off piste. According to his Linkedin profile, Thurlow was a senior project manager at HSBC who had been working [...]
Anti-social media: Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark on social media harm after the Christchurch terror attacks April 8, 2019 I Interrupt the former leader of my native New Zealand, Helen Clark, in the middle of a Twitter and Facebook purge. “Social media management” she says, dictating a response to one of the provocateurs or well-wishers. It’s all part of overseeing a social media following of more than 200,000, I’m sure, but especially fitting since [...]
AI startup Onfido tops $100m investment as it closes $50m funding round led by Softbank and Salesforce April 3, 2019 Digital identity startup Onfido today closed a $50m (£38m) funding round led by Softbank, bringing its total investment above $100m. Read more: London fintechs dominate startup programme as they bid to scale-up Salesforce Ventures also co-led the funding round with Softbank Investments (SBI), while Microsoft’s M12 fund and existing investors also contributed. London-headquartered Onfido will [...]
Nouriel Roubini interview (Part I): Expect a ‘synchronised slowdown’ in 2019 April 2, 2019 When Nouriel Roubini talks, it’s worth a listen. Not known for his optimism, the well-known American economist bears the moniker ‘Dr Doom’. CFA Institute spoke to him to get his take on topics including the prospects for global growth and technologies. CFA Institute: When you spoke to us in 2015, roughly six years after the [...]
The Matrix was released 20 years ago – how close are we to the film’s vision of a tech dystopia? April 1, 2019 The Matrix first premiered in US cinemas yesterday 20 years ago. It revolutionised the way that we viewed the potential power of machines, and simultaneously marked the dawning of an age of suspicion and fear surrounding our relationship with technology. Yet far from the apocalyptic fears of artificial intelligence (AI), the applications of this emerging [...]
Preparing for a black swan event in the financial markets March 27, 2019 Global markets are more complex and interconnected than ever. Since the 2008 financial crisis, it’s become increasingly difficult to predict how the behaviour of market participants will affect the broader financial system. Meanwhile, increased automation and the use of high-frequency trading have contributed to flash crashes. We struggle to manage the rapid market movements that [...]
Nine UK shares that tick all of Warren Buffett’s boxes March 26, 2019 By Kyle Caldwell from interactive investor. Looking for equity-based ISA inspiration? We run through the investment checklist of the Berkshire Hathaway chairman to identify UK shares that pass his stockpicking rules. American investor Warren Buffett is to the world of investment what Lionel Messi is to football: the greatest of his generation in the profession [...]
School’s not out – Britain must become a nation of lifelong learners March 25, 2019 For the United Kingdom as for the wider OECD, the most important resources we have are the talents and endeavours of our citizens. However, this is an asset that we are currently failing to nurture as well as we should. The typical refrain from policymakers in response to this challenge is to consider how each [...]